When Life Hands You Lemons

“When life hands you lemons, make lemonade.” – Elbert Hubbard

Pete and I locked up our boat on Saturday, June 30th, at 16:00 hours and headed north. We hoped to feel some of the excitement of Canada Day, July 1, even though it might be from the seat of a rental car. Pete took up the entire back seat as he leaned up against the right rear passenger door with a fluffy pillow and his left leg, secured in an immobilizer, stretched out and elevated on two sleeping bag rolls.  

We drove directly to Manior Ramezay, a renovated Catholic Chapel and Rectory turned Bed and Breakfast, in Marieville, Quebec. The building was consecrated by Father Pierre Robitaille on January 1, 1801, but the population grew so quickly that a church was built (in 1808) to accommodate the needs of the community. The building continued to serve as the Rectory until 1918, when a new Church and Rectory was built. It is unclear when the building was remodeled into a Bed and Breakfast. Each of the 14 rooms are unique. Ours had rock walls, open beams, a gas fireplace, and was small but cozy.

Once checked in, we drove just a bit further north to the small city of Chambly for dinner. We found Au Coin de la Baie for le petite repas (a small meal). The outdoor terrace had a romantic ambiance as the sun was setting, and it offered a great view of the boats at anchor in Chambly Basin. The French-speaking server was patient with us as we used our French translation app to decide what to order. 

We were too tired to overeat and too thirsty to consume wine. We needed to rehydrate after the day’s hard work during the record-breaking temperatures, so we focused on finishing a pitcher of water. 

Our goal for Sunday, July 1, was to drive the length of the Chambly Canal to research the locks and bridges. (This strategy worked very well to prepare us for the Champlain Canal.) This National Historic Site was once the primary means of commercial transportation. Most of the locks are still manually operated. It is hard to imagine boats and barges passing along this narrow waterway.  

We got to Lock 8 and noticed a familiar boat. Louise and Dick Heusinkveld of m/v “Nine Lives” (who we met in Burlington) were on the wall waiting for two southbound boats to get through the lock. When we mentioned our desire to enjoy Canada Day and find some butter tarts, Louise promptly retrieved her tin of homemade treats and shared two butter tarts!

She credited the recipe to Foster Schucker (Looper and Harbor Host that we met in Chesapeake City). Oh, they were so tasty! Thank you, Louise. 

After review of all nine Chambly Canal locks, we continued to Sorel, following the bank of the Richelieu River to the Saint Lawrence River, and then upriver to Montreal. 

Montreal was extremely congested with traffic, complicated by significant road construction and detours. We didn’t realize we arrived in the middle of the Montreal Jazz Festival. We ultimately made our way to the old section of the city to scope out the Montreal Yacht Club, where we anticipate booking a slip for a few days while we explore the city and beyond. (This is now part of our 2019 Plan.)

We considered staying for the fireworks, but then we remembered that the sun would set in Montreal at 8:46 pm, and it wouldn’t get dark for another 30-45 minutes, and then fighting the traffic in a foreign city with the traffic challenges previously mentioned would not be fun. Instead, we took our picture in front of the iconic Clock Tower (to prove we were there) and returned to Chambly for a late afternoon microbrew and cheese platter. We returned to our B&B and I fell asleep before dark, never once missing a fireworks display.

On the way back to Helen’s we made one more stop in Plattsburgh. Up until this point, Pete’s only contact with Captain Al had been via phone. Al met us at the boat. He agreed to be our liaison with marina management and look in on the boat during winterization, shrink wrapping, and through the winter. This gave us an extra dose of comfort. 

Pete realized that he might have been more active than recommended. His knee reminded him to take it easy. He declined the Treacy’s invitation to attend a James Taylor concert since it would require a lot of walking. I, however, did get to attended (Thanks, Helen and Greg!) and loved the spectacular fireworks show finale! 

I’ll close this post with a teaser. We’re on the road again. As long as we’re biding our time until Pete’s post-op appointment, we might as well see some more of the east coast. Pete has promised to be a good patient and back seat navigator. So far, we’ve been in 9 states and 2 countries. We’ve experienced 13 marinas and 6 anchorages. We’ve visited countless cities, towns, villages and hamlets. And we continue to add to our list. Currently we’re in Rhode Island. 

Our bucket list is getting shorter. Since even first class air transport may not accommodate Pete’s immobilized leg, we have decided to take the train back to California. This is something we said we’d do someday. Now is the perfect time. We’ll have a sleeper car complete with private bath and shower. With only two transfers, Pete can spend most of his time reclining. I can’t wait to experience a cross-country train! 

All aboard!